This invention relates generally to plant propagation devices and in particular to hydroponic and aeroponic plant propagation devices and to seed germination and plant propagation support media including self-contained nutrient plant support media incorporating a plant nutrient.
The hydroponic and aeroponic plant growing apparatus of the prior art is varied and quite extensive.
Some prior art apparatus utilizes horizontally disposed tubular containers through which a nutrient fluid is adapted to flow about plant containing cups which are installed in holes in the walls of the tubular containers.
The tubular containers are mounted parallel to each other in either a vertical or horizontal array and are serially connected by conduits. The nutrient fluid is pumped serially through the horizontally arrayed containers or allowed to flow by gravity through the vertically arrayed containers, serially from top to bottom.
The various prior art seed germination and plant propagation support devices or media generally utilize an organic media such as peat moss incorporating a binder and a fertilizer or an inorganic media such as sand, gravel or a comminuted plastic material or inert mineral material.
Some plant support media utilize randomly interconnecting cellular plastic material incorporating a comminuted plant nutrient disbursed throughout the media.
Much of the prior art hydroponic and aeroponic apparatus failed to provide for greater control over the amount of time the plant roots were exposed to the liquid nutrient and the amount of time the plant roots were exposed to air, a gas or mixture of gases.
In addition, the prior art hydroponic and aeroponic apparatus failed to provide for testing of the nutrient fluid for harmful anaerobic bacteria or other harmful organisms until the plant was too seriously infected to apply corrective action.
Also, the prior art hydroponic and aeroponic apparatus of the prior art failed to allow for sterilization of the apparatus and system without having to destroy or remove the plants being propogated.
In most cases, where sand, gravel or the like were used as the plant support or propagation media, corrective action required sterilization of the entire media from the outset. With sand, gravel or other mineral material, sterilization was a tedious and expensive procedure.
Where the plant support media utilizes a randomly interconnected cellular plastic material, although the material was initially sterile, its water retention characteristics were relatively high such that some of the nutrient fluid would remain in the same cells for long periods of time. If unwanted anaerobic bacteria were inadvertently introduced into the nutrient, the stagnant material in the cells would become a breeding ground for the bacteria or other harmful organisms which could not be completely flushed out all of the cells of the randomly interconnecting cellular plant support media.
Thus, the sterilization of the apparatus of the prior art and the nutrient solution could not be corrected except by tedious and expensive flushing or removal of all of the infected plant support media.
Furthermore, the prior art hydroponic and aeroponic apparatus were all concerned only with the plant nutrient and plant support aspects of plant growth and were not concerned with total plant environment and control for maximum growth potential of the particular plant being propogated.